Kel Discovers Spirits
by PolisherOfStars
Summary: One-shot for now. Some adult themes. Kel drinks alcohol for the first time when she is coerced into a drinking game with the men of the Own. A little OOC.


Keladry of Mindelan was unsure as to how, exactly, she had ended up playing the foolish drinking game to begin with. She would say it was a show of camaraderie with the two squads of the Own in their last week at New Hope, but in the pit of her belly she expected it was more due to Dom's teasing smile and claims that she could not hold her liquor.

Which was of course very true.

In her nearly four years with the King's Own, Kel had been witness to many of the men's silly drinking games and the effects they often had. She had required no instruction when persuaded (mostly by Dom and at least partially by Qasim) to join their game of "I have never." The men assured her that they were several rounds ahead and certainly a few rounds wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

It began in the usual way, men proclaiming they had never stolen or been to certain foreign countries, but quickly progressed to more bawdy topics. Kel proudly stated she had never made love to a woman, causing nearly every man to drink to their chagrin. When Qasim proclaimed he had never kissed a man, Kel blushed and sipped from her cup of spirits, noticing that several other men including Dom, also drank, albeit discreetly. She shot Dom incredulous look which he responded to with "I never back down from a challenge!"

Kel laughed. She was unsurprised at Dom's humour, but suspected that some of the men may have resorted to the love of one another to keep each other warm on cold nights on the road.

It wasn't long before a few of Kel's companions conspired against her. The statements became increasingly more inclined towards forcing Kel to finish drink after drink, focusing on her plights with the griffin, Stenmun and Blayce. Kel's head soon developed a light and sloshy feeling that very closely resembled being tilt-silly, but with a great deal less bodily pain.

Soon, it reached midnight and the men began to drift away from the table in twos and threes, heading to bed, or to the kitchens to beg a snack form New Hope's cooks. Kel rose and found she had some trouble getting her feet to do what she wished of them. She desperately needed to use the latrine, but found she could not quite remember where that was either. She was tripping over her feet and very nearly fell, when a strong arm caught her under the shoulders.

"Easy there, Mindelan. Wouldn't want you to fall and beat in that pretty face."

Kel looked up to see Dom's easy smile looking down on her.

"You think I'm pretty?"

_Goddess, curse it_. She thought_, I sound like an idiot,_ although she couldn't seem to stop the ridiculous babble that flowed from her mouth.

"You're positively lovely, my dear. Now let's get you to bed."

"You sound just like Cleon; he used to call me the most ridiculous names! And I don't want to go to bed!"

"Mithros help us, how much did you drink?"

"Oh, I don't know! There were all those silly things about the griffin and the ugly Scanran fellow and that gods cursed mage..."

Kel was cut off abruptly as, much to her surprise, Dom picked her up and dumped her over his shoulder.

"Right. Well that certainly means off to bed with you then. And perhaps a healer's potion so you don't feel like throwing yourself over that pigsticker of yours in the morning." chuckled Dom.

"I told you, I don't want to go to bed!" screamed Kel, beating on his back with her palms. "Unless it was with you of course, that would be alright. But, I have to peeeeeeeee!"

"Then to the latrine and right to bed with you." said Dom. Kel, in her very inebriated state took no notice of the pink colour of Dom's ears.

* * *

Keladry woke as Dom was gently laying her on the bed in her quarters. She had little memory of being carted to the latrinesand then to Neal's quarters so Dom might beg an elixir from him. Neal had given him a vial of clear orange liquid and rolled his eyes at the state of his best friend.

"This is why she doesn't take spirits, you know." he told Dom. Dom only laughed.

Kel sat up on her bed and blinked at Dom questioningly.

"Oh, good. You're conscious again. Neal says you need to drink this and some water before you go to sleep."

Kel stomach turned at the thought of drinking anything. "Dom, I don't really feel so good."

Dom looked at her and his face fell. He knew what was coming from years of men in the Own over-drinking.

"Alright, outside we go then." As he leaned over her to help her out of bed, Kel projected her supper over the front of his tunic, lay back down and began to snore almost immediately.

"Wonderful, then." muttered Dom.

* * *

Kel woke again, several hours later, feeling as though her head was full of cotton. The tilt-silly feeling had gone, but was replaced with a queasy stomach, an achy head and a certain misty amnesia of the previous night's events. She seemed to vaguely recall Dom bringing her to her room (which alarmed her slightly) and Dom's tunic becoming dirty somehow. She glanced up to find Dom sitting in her desk chair with his head tilted back, soundly asleep. His clothes appeared clean, although rumpled, as if he had been sitting up in them all night.

As she crept across the room to fetch her water jug, Dom yawned and turned to look at her. "So you're alive at least. I was beginning to get concerned." He cracked her a wry smile. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Kel took a moment to draw moisture into her mouth before she could reply. "You, all of you, have learned too well from my lord. You are all bad men. I feel awful!"

Dom chuckled. "Good. I was afraid you would be one of those annoyingly fortunate knights who never has to face the effects of a night of drinking. What can you remember?"

Kel had a fleeting image of Dom in her room, by her bed and removing his tunic. She glanced down to see she was wearing a different shirt than the night before although she still wore her breeches. Her mind began to churn with the knowledge of what men and women often got up to when there was a copious amount of spirits involved. Her face became a mask of horror.

"What did I _do_?" she whispered. "Did I...? Did we...?"

For once, Dom was serious. "Keladry, relax. Your maidenly honour is still intact. Although I did do you the service of changing your shirt as you chose to vomit all over it and me last night. And I'll have you know, I averted my eyes!" He began to smile again.

Kel's face began to regain its colour. "Oh. Good... then."

Dom took on a mock-indignant expression. "Keladry of Mindelan, are you suggesting you would be mortified to take me to your bed? I fancy myself quite attractive. You seemed quite excited by the prospect last night!" His face twisted into that teasing smile again.

Kel's face once again lost its colour. "I don't... I mean, you're very... But I would never... I mean I would..."

Dom chuckled and tossed her the potion from Neal. "Drink this and get something to eat. I'll see you shortly, Lady Knight." He left with a brief salute, closing the door behind him.

Keladry scrambled to wash up, giving herself a sound scolding only after chasing away the thoughts of Dom in her bed.


End file.
